Bank of Baroda’s Standalone Primary Dealer bob Securities & Giltedge Begins Operations

Bank of Baroda (BoB), the country’s second-largest public sector lender, has taken a formal step into specialised debt-market intermediation with its wholly owned subsidiary, bob Securities & Giltedge Limited, commencing business as a non-deposit taking non-banking financial company (NBFC). The subsidiary has been set up to run a standalone primary dealership in line with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) norms. The bank described the launch as an important milestone in its strategy to build a stronger presence in the government securities (G-Sec) and debt capital markets. Primary dealers play a central role in India’s sovereign debt market, underwriting government borrowing, supporting auctions and providing two-way quotes that keep the secondary market liquid. A dedicated, separately capitalised entity allows BoB to scale this activity beyond its own treasury book.

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Bank of Baroda’s Standalone Primary Dealer bob Securities & Giltedge Begins Operations

BoB incorporated the subsidiary earlier in 2026 with an authorised share capital of Rs 2,000 crore, after obtaining RBI approval for a standalone primary dealership, the capital would be infused in two tranches. As part of the launch, the company has unveiled its corporate identity and logo and gone live with its website, bobgiltedge.in.

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Managing Director & CEO, Bank of Baroda - Dr Debadatta Chand

Akashvani to Host Sardar Patel Lecture by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Akashvani will organise the 67th edition of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Lecture series . Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, will deliver the lecture. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting informed that the recording of the Lecture will be broadcast on Sardar Patel Jayanti on the 31st of October on the entire Akashvani Network at 9.30 P.M. Akashvani has been organizing the Annual Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Lecture series since 1955 in memory of India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. This annual event has served as a repository of thoughts, ideas and views on a variety of subjects and as a tool to understand the unfathomable expanse and depth of many aspects of our diverse culture and developmental issues in a better way.

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Former Governor Arif Mohammad Khan unveils English translation of The Story of Vande Mataram

Former Governor of Bihar and Kerala, Dr Arif Muhammad Khan unveiled the English translation of the book The Story of Vande Mataram at the Constitutional Club in New Delhi. The book has been translated into English by Dr. Mercy Jill.

The book was originally written by veteran RSS leader Ranga Hari in Malayalam. The book traces the story of Vande Mataram, highlighting its historical significance and its role in India’s freedom struggle.

The occasion brought attention to the enduring legacy of the national song and its place in the country’s cultural and national identity. Dr Khan also shared his personal experiences with Rangahari, describing him as a distinguished scholar, an accomplished writer and a committed patriot.

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Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan reviews preparedness for Cyclone Arnab in Bay of Bengal

Cabinet Secretary, Dr. T. V. Somanathan chaired a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee to review preparedness for the impending cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. During the meeting, it was informed that adequate shelters and evacuation arrangements have been made, and necessary NDRF and SDRF teams have been kept on standby. Director General, IMD, Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra briefed the Committee that the deep depression over East central and adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal has moved nearly Westwards and intensified into cyclonic storm ARNAB. It is likely to affect districts in Telangana, Southern Odisha, South and Central Chhattisgarh apart from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

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Commerce Ministry extends RELIEF scheme for exporters until March 31, 2027

The Department of Commerce has extended the timelines under Component II of Resilience and Logistics Intervention for Export Facilitation (RELIEF) until the 31st March of next year. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that the extension has been notified in view of continued geopolitical disruptions in West Asia and their impact on maritime logistics across the Gulf and adjoining regions. RELIEF is a time-bound intervention under the Export Promotion Mission.

Component II of the initiative aims to encourage exporters to obtain Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India cover for upcoming shipments to specified regions by providing 95 per cent risk coverage. The benefit is available for Standalone Policies and Whole Turnover Policies obtained on or after 16th of this year.

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Commerce Ministry extends RELIEF scheme for exporters until March 31, 2027

Under this component, the premium payable by eligible exporters is protected against increases beyond pre-disruption levels during the eligible period. The covered cargo categories include Full Container Load, Less than Container Load and refrigerated containers, excluding energy shipments. Exporters seeking coverage under the RELIEF initiative are required to submit claims and supporting documents through the ECGC customer portal at www.ecgcltd.in.

RELIEF launched on 19th of March this year, is a targeted intervention to support Indian exporters facing extraordinary freight cost escalation, higher insurance premia and war-related export risks arising from disruptions in the Gulf and the wider West Asian maritime corridor.

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UPI Is Now the World’s Largest Real-Time Payment System, RBI Opens Odisha Data Centre

India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is now the largest real-time payment system in the world,. UPI now handles more than 2,400 crore transactions a month, which works out to nearly 80 crore payments every day. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) new Data Centre and Cybersecurity Training Institute in Odisha. The campus is meant to strengthen the sovereign infrastructure behind the country’s financial system. UPI volumes have grown about 13,000 times since 2016-17. A system first used for small person-to-person transfers is now the default way to pay for groceries, utility bills, merchant purchases and much more, in cities and villages alike.

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UPI Is Now the World’s Largest Real-Time Payment System, RBI Opens Odisha Data Centre

More than 59 crore people have entered formal banking through the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, launched in 2014. These accounts carry no minimum balance and no annual charges. Direct benefit transfers through them have helped cut leakages in welfare payments. The Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana has sanctioned more than Rs 43 lakh crore across over 60 crore collateral-free loans to micro and small businesses. Women make up about 65 per cent of the beneficiaries. Under PM SVANidhi, around 1.2 crore loans have gone to street vendors. The new RBI campus will host mission-critical payment systems, including Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) and National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT). Sitharaman called a data centre “the vault in the digital age”. Sitharaman linked the Odisha campus to the Prime Minister’s Purvodaya vision for the development of eastern India. The government gave data centres infrastructure status in 2022, and that the Union Budget 2026-27 announced a tax holiday for foreign companies that offer global cloud services from data centres in India.

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Yuki Bhambri, Ryan Seggerman clinch Almaty Open doubles title

In Tennis, India’s top-ranked doubles player, Yuki Bhambri, with his American partner Ryan Seggerman, clinched the Almaty Open title in Kazakhstan . The fourth-seeded Indo-American pair defeated top seeds Lucas Miedler and Neil Oberleitner of Austria 7-6, 6-7, 10-2 in the final of ATP 250 tournament. The victory marks Bhambri’s first ATP Tour title of the 2026 season and the fifth doubles title of his career on the ATP Tour. The 34-year-old had previously won ATP 250 titles in Mallorca in 2023, Gstaad and Munich in 2024, and the ATP 500 Dubai tournament in 2025.

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Ahmedabad to host Senior World Weightlifting Championships in 2029

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) announced that Ahmedabad will host the Senior World Weightlifting Championships in 2029. This will be the first time that India hosts the senior edition of the prestigious global event. The decision was taken at the IWF Executive Board meeting held in Ningbo, China. The IWF also awarded the hosting rights for the 2030 Senior World Weightlifting Championships to Moscow, the capital of Russia. Additionally, the IWF Executive Board decided to award the hosting rights for the 2028 World Youth Championships to Prishtina, Kosovo, and the World Junior Championships to Caracas, Venezuela.

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Ahmedabad to host Senior World Weightlifting Championships in 2029

The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) took the decision to award two senior world championships -- 2029 and 2030 -- at its EB meeting. Russian capital of Moscow was announced as the host city of the 2030 edition of the senior world championships. It is also worth noting that three of these four countries will be organising an IWF world event for the first time – Kosovo, Venezuela and India

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IFC lends $150 million to SBI to support 8.6 lakh rural women borrowers

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has extended a $150 million social loan to State Bank of India, its first-ever credit line to a public-sector bank, in a move that is expected to support nearly 8,64,000 rural women engaged in agriculture and allied activities across India. The transaction highlights a shift in IFC’s India strategy and comes alongside a separate local-currency financing agreement aimed at expanding long-term rupee funding for private-sector investments. The social loan is expected to benefit around rural women across agricultural value chains, including crop cultivation, animal husbandry, fisheries and food processing. Nearly 90 per cent of the financing will flow through women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs), while the remainder will support women entrepreneurs under SBI’s Svayam Siddha Scheme.

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IFC lends $150 million to SBI to support 8.6 lakh rural women borrowers

Alongside the social loan, IFC and SBI have signed a derivative partnership under an ISDA Master Agreement, making SBI IFC’s first domestic swap counterparty in India and South Asia. The swap arrangement is expected to strengthen IFC’s ability to source rupee-denominated funding and reduce foreign exchange risk for borrowers in sectors such as infrastructure, agribusiness and financial services.

Over the last three years, IFC has mobilised about Rs 30,040 crore ($3.7 billion) through the dollar-rupee cross-currency swap market. The new partnership is expected to further expand access to long-term local currency financing, supporting productivity, competitiveness and job creation.

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Supreme Court Collegium proposes four judges for HC Chief Justiceships

The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended four judges for appointment as Chief Justices of the High Courts of Gujarat, Delhi, Telangana and Uttarakhand. Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak, who is currently serving as a judge in the Gujarat High Court, has been recommended for appointment as its Chief Justice in a Supreme Court Collegium resolution of October 26. Justice Pathak's parent High Court is Gauhati. Justice P. Sam Koshy, whose parent High Court is Chhattisgarh and is currently serving on the Bench of the Telangana High Court, has been proposed for the Delhi High Court Chief Justiceship. Justices Tapabrata Chakraborty of Calcutta High Court and Sudhir Singh of Patna High Courts have been recommended for appointments as Chief Justices of Telangana and Uttarakhand High Courts, respectively. The Supreme Court Collegium has also approved the proposal for appointment of Ajay Sharma, Judicial Member, CESTAT, Mumbai, and advocate Vaibhav Anant Sugdare as judges of the Bombay High Court.

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Rajnath Singh to lead Indian team at ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Philippines

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation at the 13th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus in Cebu, Philippines, from October 28 to 29, where he is scheduled to address the forum on regional and international security issues. The ADMM-Plus is a key regional platform for dialogue and cooperation on defence and security issues, bringing together the 11 ASEAN member-states and eight Dialogue Partners — India, the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The Philippines is chairing the ADMM-Plus in 2026. India, meanwhile, is co-chairing the Experts Working Group on Counter-Terrorism with Malaysia for the 2024-2027 cycle. India became a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1992, while the inaugural ADMM-Plus meeting was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 12, 2010. Since 2017, the Defence Ministers of the participating countries have been meeting annually to deepen defence cooperation.

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Shilp Samagam Mela 2026 – Guwahati

The Shilp Samagam Mela (SSM) 2026 in Guwahati continues to attract visitors, offering a vibrant showcase of India's diverse traditional handicrafts, handloom products and indigenous craftsmanship. Organised by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, the eight-day Mela is continuing at Farm Gate, Khanapara, Guwahati till October 28, 2026. The Official said the Guwahati edition is the second Mela in the Shilp Samagam Series for the financial year 2026–27, following the successful conclusion of the first edition at Dasara Exhibition Grounds in Mysuru, Karnataka, on October 19, 2026. A key focus of Shilp Samagam Mela is the promotion of BHARAT-TULIP (Traditional Artisans’ Upliftment Livelihood Programme), which seeks to facilitate the marketing of products made by artisans belonging to the target groups through physical outlets and e-commerce platforms.

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Shilp Samagam Mela 2026 – Guwahati

Shilp Samagam Mela is an important initiative of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment to provide marketing support to artisans and beneficiaries associated with its three National Corporations: the National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC), the National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC), and the National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC). Guided by the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the principle of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas”, the initiative promotes the economic empowerment of artisans belonging to Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Safai Mitras and Denotified Tribes (DNTs).

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TDB-DST signs agreement with Manastu Space for Rs 116 crore RDI support to advance indigenous green propulsion technology

In a significant step towards strengthening India’s indigenous space technology capabilities and promoting sustainable access to space, the Technology Development Board (TDB), Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, has signed an agreement with M/s Manastu Space Technologies Private Limited, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra for financial support of Rs 116 crore under the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Fund. The project, with a total project cost of Rs 277.63 crore, focuses on developing a scalable, integrated green propulsion system for satellites and launch vehicles across the 5 mN to 300 N thrust class. The programme aims to advance the technology from Technology Readiness Level (TRL)-6 to TRL-9, supporting further development, validation and deployment of the propulsion system. The financial support will be provided through Optionally Convertible Debt (OCD).

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TDB-DST signs agreement with Manastu Space for Rs 116 crore RDI support to advance indigenous green propulsion technology

Manastu Space is developing an indigenous green propulsion system designed to provide a complete propulsion solution for satellites and launch vehicles. The technology uses a hydrogen peroxide-based green propellant with additives, supported by an integrated engine and catalyst system. The system offers improved performance and cost efficiency while reducing the operational challenges associated with conventional propellants. The project falls under the Deep Technology sector, with Space Technology as the sub-sector. By supporting indigenous propulsion development, the initiative aims to strengthen domestic capabilities in a critical component of the space value chain and reduce reliance on externally sourced technologies.

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NIFTEM-K Hosts India’s First AI × Food Tech Hackathon, ‘Hack the Fork’

National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K), hosted Hack the Fork, India’s first AI × Food Tech Hackathon focused on leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address real-world challenges in the alternative protein industry. The 24-hour hackathon was inaugurated by Ms. Alice Pjie, Director, Hack the Fork, on October 24 and concluded on October 25, with participating teams presenting their innovative solutions before an expert jury. Organised by Hack the Fork, a France-based non-profit initiative, in collaboration with NIFTEM-K, the event aimed to bring together young innovators, researchers and technology enthusiasts to explore AI-driven solutions for sustainable food systems.

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NIFTEM-K Hosts India’s First AI × Food Tech Hackathon, ‘Hack the Fork’

The challenge focused on harnessing Artificial Intelligence to advance the alternative protein industry, with applications spanning plant-based food innovation, fermentation technologies and broader food systems. Key areas of exploration included nutritional optimisation, food safety, sustainable food production and food waste reduction, encouraging participants to develop innovative, technology-driven solutions for a more sustainable and resilient food ecosystem.

The winning teams competed for prizes worth Rs 1.5 lakh, along with opportunities to enter NIFTEM-K’s Startup Incubation Programme. The initiative reinforced the institute’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable food technology.

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Prime Minister hails India’s historic best-ever performance and record 114 medals at the Asian Para Games 2026

India finished fourth at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with a best-ever tally of 114 medals - 30 gold, 35 silver and 49 bronze. The count overshadowed the haul from Hangzhou 2023, where Indian para athletes bagged 111 medals - 29 gold, 31 silver and 51 bronze - to finish fifth overall.

Para athletics accounted for 65 of India's 114 medals, including 22 of the 30 golds. The remaining eight gold medals came from para archery, para badminton and para shooting.

Sheetal Devi emerged as India's most successful athlete at the Asian Para Games 2026, winning three medals, including two gold and one silver.

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Prime Minister hails India’s historic best-ever performance and record 114 medals at the Asian Para Games 2026

Thulasimathi Murugesan, Ravi Budigina and Himanshu Nandal also won three medals each. Thulasimathi claimed one gold and two silver, Ravi Karthik secured two silver and one bronze, while Himanshu bagged three bronze medals.

Meanwhile, Mona Agarwal, Nishad Kumar, Pranav Soorma, Simran and Dilip Gavit won two gold medals each, across para shooting and para athletics.

Indian athletes also broke several records during the Games. Haney set a world record of 60.49m in the men's javelin throw F37/38, while Sandeep clocked 52.28 seconds to establish a new world record in the men's 400m T64.

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England forward Kane crowned Ballon d’Or winner, Putellas wins women’s award

Harry Kane completed his long quest for football’s highest individual honour , with the Bayern Munich and England striker winning the Ballon d’Or after a record-breaking season that cemented his status as one of the game’s greatest goalscorers.

Kane is the first Englishman to win the prestigious award in 25 years, after Michael Owen won it in 2001. Spain midfielder Alexia Putellas won the Ballon d’Or Feminin for the third time.

Kane’s move to Bayern in 2023 brought the team trophies that had long eluded him. In 2025-26, he coupled that success with goalscoring numbers that made him the leading Ballon d’Or candidate. The England captain produced his most prolific campaign, scoring 61 goals in 51 games for Bayern across all competitions as the German side completed a domestic league and cup double. By the end of the season, Kane had established himself as Europe’s leading goalscorer.

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England forward Kane crowned Ballon d’Or winner, Putellas wins women’s award

At 33, Kane has finally claimed the game’s highest individual honour, adding a Ballon d’Or to a legacy that already places him among football’s greatest strikers as England’s all-time leading marksman and their record World Cup scorer.

Putellas was presented with the women’s award after winning the treble with Barcelona in the 2025-26 campaign, in addition to the Spanish Super Cup. She moved to Women’s Super League side London City Lionesses in July after 14 years at Barca.

Spain and Barcelona players won the young talent awards, Lamine picking up his third trophy and Vicky Lopez taking home the women’s award for the second successive year.

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England forward Kane crowned Ballon d’Or winner, Putellas wins women’s award

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was named men’s coach of the year, while Barcelona’s Pere Romeu won the women’s coaching award.

The men’s goalkeeper award went to Unai Simon of Spain and Athletic Bilbao, while Cata Coll of Spain and Barcelona won the women’s award.

Paris St Germain won the men’s club of the year award, while Barcelona picked up the women’s honours. Kane won the men’s striker of the year prize, while Charlyn Corral was named top women’s striker.

Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka was presented with the Socrates Award for humanitarian work.

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